As Japan continues to recover from the devastating earthquake, the issue of nuclear power and radiation is still a huge issue. There are now four nuclear power plants that may have leaked radioactive material into the air. Obviously the Japanese government is doing all it can to prevent more leakage and more radiation. While this leakage is being taking care of, the nuclear energy industry is taking a hit. Many people are questioning the industry and it's safety.
In a story on NPR a couple of days ago, several of experts on nuclear power discussed the issue in Japan. Several experts still support nuclear energy even after this disaster. While the issue in Japan is troubling, they believe nuclear power is still the future of alternative energy. Gwyneth Cravens, an expert on nuclear power, brought up an interesting point saying these plants are the oldest on the market today. Nuclear power is continuing to evolve and the safety features continue to expand. Ms. Cravens, and other experts on the show believe the newer, safer plants could have withstood the earthquake. While I believe the newer plants are safer, there are still old plants all over the world. In the show they mentioned one in California with little protection from the ocean, making it very susceptible to a tsunami. If nuclear power is going to be successful, there needs to be an upgrade to the protection of these plants.
http://www.npr.org/2011/03/15/134568574/assessing-the-future-of-nuclear-power-in-the-u-s
While I understand that risks and uncertainty surround every new form of energy, I think it is important for the energy industry to invest in developing types of power that are known to have fewer risks. For example, solar and wind energies. My informational interview, as well as a good deal of the research I've done, suggests that we should try to find a company that specializes in one of these energies to recommend to our investors.
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